Coming off of a difficult loss to Boerne High School on Friday, Feb. 10, Wimberley High School’s Lady Texan soccer players were encouraged.
Even in defeat, the ladies knew they could stay close and give the Greyhounds a game later in district play. But as certain as they may feel about that game, the truth is that revenge will have to wait. The remainder of their season depends on focus and execution. When they are on, the Lady Texans are scary good.
The first step toward achieving their season goals was to finish the first half of district play against Great Heart Northern Oaks at home last Tuesday, Feb. 14. The Griffins came to Texan Stadium sporting a 1-3 district record including a win over Bandera High School on the Bulldogs’ home pitch.
Coach Eric Nichols prepares the Lady Texans to take no team lightly and to score early and often. The young ladies followed those instructions against Great Heart Northern Oaks.
“We scored three quickly but slowed and let our guard down,” Nichols shared. “They have a couple of good players that are fast. One of them got behind our back line and before you know it, there’s a ball at the back of the net. The girls refocused and scored two more to go up 5-1 at the half. We weren’t communicating well or hitting our passing combinations so we saw what happens when there are mental breakdowns.”
The Tuesday game was the first for Cameron Thames to join the team since basketball season concluded. She and sister Emily Thames are one of three sets of sisters on the pitch for the Lady Texans. They are joined by Sydney and Olivia Hendon as well as Ella and Lilli Sandoval.
“Getting Cameron back gives us some space to move things around and get a good rotation of players going in to keep legs fresh for the second half of the season,” Nichols explained. “It’ll help the outside midfielders and we expect no drop off in effectiveness.”
The Lady Texans remained solid through the second half scoring three and allowing no further goals by the Griffins. The final from Texan Stadium was 8-1.
Nichols commented on the rest of the season and the mindset needed to carry the team through toward success. “Our roles must be consistent for the remainder,” he said. “We can’t afford to play hit-andmiss so we have to step up our intensity. Every game needs to have a playoff feel so we’ve got to play like each game as if it’s the last.”
“For our seniors, this second half will be the last time they play each team,” he added. “Canyon Lake. Fredericksburg. Davenport. Bandera. Boerne. One game at a time until the last is played. Our underclassmen need to play like seniors and leave it all on the field. We’ve not yet played a ‘full game.’ When we do, they’ll know it and get greedy to play that way every time.”
The Lady Texans (4-1 district) began the second round of district play Tuesday at Canyon Lake High School. They are home Friday, Feb. 24 at 7 p.m versus Fredericksburg High School’s Billies.
